Tag Archives: vegan

Veganuary: My first time experience as a dedicated meat-eater

January is the month to try something new and challenge yourself, with annual events like Dry January, No Spend January and Veganuary. According to Veganuary 9% of British adults have taken part in Veganuary at some point since the campaign was first launched in 2014. Veganuary themselves have estimated that is around 6 million people.

The idea of a “new year, new me” inspired me to try Veganuary for a week. On the whole, I am a dedicated carnivore, so the idea of going vegan for a week was daunting. After getting some reassurance from my aunt I headed out to the shops and brought myself a weeks’ worth of vegan friendly food.

The picture shows a variety of grocery items on a checkout conveyor belt at a Tesco store. There is a blue carton of mango juice drink, a yellow tub of Flora butter, and various food items including what appears to be a loaf of bread, a pack of tortilla wraps, and several boxed and packaged goods. Some of the items have visible labels such as "NEW," "Vegan," and "Protein." In the background, there is a person wearing a blue uniform, likely a Tesco employee, and promotional signs for Tesco mobile plans and savings accounts. The conveyor belt has the Tesco logo and the slogan "The power to lower prices." There's also a reminder to use the Tesco Clubcard.

I started off my first day by having a croissant with some ham and applewood smoked cheese. I was surprised by how fluffy and buttery the croissant tasted and pleasantly surprised at the taste of cheese. I was off to a flying start, none of my fears were true and I started to think “I can do this!”. Later on I made myself a chicken and bacon toastie for lunch which had a rubbery texture and a very salty taste but was otherwise extremely bland. For dinner I made sausages, broccoli, pasta with some Philadelphia mixed in, I honestly wouldn’t have been able to tell the sausages were meat free if I didn’t know and the Philadelphia tasted a lot creamier although it was very bland and slightly watery.

The picture shows a bowl of pasta with broccoli and pieces of vegan sausage and vegan philidelphia. The pasta appears to be fusilli, which is spiral-shaped. The broccoli is bright green and looks to be cooked but still firm. There are slices of sausage that are browned, suggesting they have been grilled or sautéed. The bowl itself is cream-colored with a red rim. There is a metal fork resting in the bowl. The background is a teal tabl with a faint pattern,
The picture shows a hand holding a sandwich that is open to reveal its contents. The sandwich is made with whole grain bread, the sandwich is made of vegan chicken and bacon. The sandwich is on a dark grey plate, and there are some crumbles of the sandwich's contents on the plate as well. Beside the sandwich, there are a few corn chips also on the plate. The background is a green tablecloth.
The picture shows a sandwich on a blue plate. The sandwich is made with a French bread roll, which appears to be filled with some slices of vegan ham and cheese. The bread has a golden-brown crust and looks soft. There are some crumbs scattered on the plate around the sandwich.

I can definitely do this.

But then came lunch time day two… I made myself a cheese and ham toastie with some cheese tortilla crisps. The meal would have been great had it not been for the melted cheese. That cheese that had tasted nice the day before now tasted horrid it was like liquid plastic. I thought I would try and improve my day by having a kit kat. Unfortunately the kit kat had a very grainy taste and dinner wasn’t an improvement either, with the fish tasting sour.

The picture shows a plate of food. On the left side of the plate, there are two round, toasted potato cakes with browned spots. In the center, there are three orange, breaded fishless fish nuggets stacked in a pyramid shape. On the right side of the plate, there are several slices of fresh cucumber. In the background, there is a red cup on a table with a green tablecloth. There are also some indistinct items, possibly boxes, on the table.
The image shows a KitKat chocolate bar wrapper. The wrapper is predominantly red with the KitKat logo in white at the center. Below the logo, there is a large "V" with the word "VEGAN" in white letters. The background has tropical leaves and flowers in green, blue, and pink hues. On the bottom left, there's a "Per bar" label with nutritional information and a "Vegan" logo. The wrapper also has a "Nestle" logo at the top and a "Rainforest Alliance Certified" logo.
The picture shows a hand lifting a half of a grilled vegan cheese sandwich, revealing a gooey, melted cheese stretching between the two halves. The sandwich is on a dark plate, with grill marks visible on the bread.

Maybe I can’t do this.

However, day three was a slight improvement with the pizza having a creamy texture but again not having any flavour even from the onions or peppers. Day four was similar with the garlic kievs have a strong smell of garlic but strangely not tasting like it. Day five however did bring a bit of flavour back into my pallet with the burgers have a peppery taste and rubbery texture.

The picture shows a plate of food with a slice of pizza and a side of French fries. The pizza has a golden-brown crust topped with vegan melted cheese, vegan pepperoni slices, and what appears to be some green herbs. The fries are golden and look crispy. In the background, there is a mug with a design on it and a red bowl, both on a table with a brown surface.
The picture shows a plate of food with the following items: - A breaded chicken cutlet on the left side of the plate - A cluster of small boiled potatoes at the top - Sliced carrots on the right side - Steamed broccoli at the bottom In the background, there is a red cup and a knife on the table. There is also another plate with similar food items slightly visible. The plate has a blue circular pattern around the edge.
The picture shows a plate of food on a glass stovetop. The plate has a blue rim with a pattern of small blue circles and lines. On the plate, there is a cooked burger patty on the left side, a small pile of baked beans in the center, and golden-brown French fries on the right side. The food is steaming, indicating it is hot.

No, I can do this.

Day 6 was some dinosaur nuggets which had a rubbery texture and were very dry with no real flavour. Day 7 was the day I used up what I hadn’t eaten involving cracker and Philadelphia, crisps, croissants and biscuits. All of which had a very bland taste, dry texture and occasionally a powdering texture.

The image shows a close-up of a plate with food items. There is a golden-brown potato waffle with a grid pattern in the foreground, and behind it, there appears to be a breaded item shaped like a star, possibly a chicken nugget. To the right, out of focus, there's a glimpse of what might be a white container or napkin dispenser. The plate and food items are on a dark surface, possibly a table.
The image shows the inside of a partially filled potato chip bag. The chips are golden and appear crispy. The perspective is from the top looking down into the bag.
The picture shows an assortment of vegan treats. There are: - Two pieces chocolate caramel rice krispie cales white icing designs on top - Two rectangular chocolate bars with a smooth surface - Two square-shaped, pale yellow biscuits - Two round gummy candies, one orange and one red In the background, there's a blurred view of a room with some items on a table, including what appears to be a bottle and a white container, and a bookshelf with books and other small items.

I actually did it!

I can definitely see the appeal of going vegan, with the diet resulting in 75% less climate-heating emissions and pollution. I very much enjoyed having meat and flavour back in my meals.